Energy and Economic Analysis of Flash Steam Geothermal Power Plants in Lebanon

Abstract

Geothermal energy has a great potential to be a competitor to other renewable resources, as it is abundant and plentiful, where one production well can be sufficient for a number of uses. However, geothermal energy systems are advancing to meet the growing demand for electrical power and other applications that utilize thermal energy as a source. In this work, a feasibility study was done in order to study the possibility of geothermal power plant implementation of 1 MW in Hasbaya, Lebanon. According to the available geothermal resource of 200°C at 3000 m depth, two geothermal plant types were pointed out, including single flash and double flash plants, showing that the double flash has a better performance in terms of actual plant efficiency of 8.16%. In addition, the condenser type affects the performance; thus, utilizing an air-cooled condenser will be suitable for application. In addition to the performance, the cost analysis shows that using air-cooled will reduce the capital cost and increase the net present value.